How to Play Tennessee Whiskey, Chris Stapleton
Hey, howdy hey all you Tele Smellers! Today I’m going to break down Chris Stapleton’s hit song and teach you how to play Tennessee Whiskey. This song is a classic from George Jones, and Chris’ take on the song combines country and R&B roots masterfully. It’s really hard to talk about this song because only one thing comes to mind: “this song is incredible!” That’s it. Enough said.
Today I’ll be covering the acoustic guitar part which includes chords, strumming pattern, and some of the little fills lines. We will also take an in-depth look at the lead guitar work in the introduction, chorus, and guitar solo! Check out our YouTube video lesson to see all of this demonstrated in small bite-sized pieces. Scroll down for chords charts and tablature, and the tablature is available for purchase and download through Sheet Music Plus here: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/22001594?aff_id=721405.
Gear Corner
Electric Guitar
I’m not gonna lie to you…Chris Stapleton is starting to make me want a Jazzmaster. Seriously, the tone he gets out of that guitar is so perfect for country, western, or R&B. I know I’m a Telecaster fanatic, but I may need to have an affair with a Jazzmaster soon. I’m sorry ahead of time to my Tele.
But if you don’t have a Jazzmaster, and you like the tone I get in the video, I used the neck pickup on my Telecaster. I have the tone knob rolled off significantly (somewhere between 50% and 60%) and used a Twin Reverb amp modeler from Line 6’s Pod XT Pro. If you’ve got a Fender Princeton (not a Princeton Reverb), that’s going to get you the most authentic amplified sound.
Acoustic Guitar
For the acoustic guitar tone, I think a Martin guitar does a decent job of sounding like the record, but I believe Chris is using a Gibson LG2. Again, Mr. Stapleton is giving me guitar envy, because his LG2 sounds amazing and has some nice clear tones. Both his electric and acoustic guitar work makes for some great recordings!
Acoustic Guitar Chords
The Nashville Numbers for this song are easy peasy. We are in the key of A, and we will need to use the 1 and 2 chords. The second note in your A major scale is a B, so you’ll need a B minor chord. And that’s it! Nothing is simpler than a 2 chord song! Except maybe a one-chord song. Or a no-chord song? Is that just a drum solo?
I’m digressing…
To play an A chord, check out the chord chart below. There are two ways to play an A chord, and the first one on the left is your standard A. It is perfectly acceptable to play the standard A chord in this song. However, I think it’s easier to use your first finger to bar the D, G, and B strings on the 2nd fret of your guitar, and mute the high e string with your fretting finger. That is shown in the chord chart below the standard chord fingering. You’ll find the transition to the B minor chord is easier to get to, and you don’t lose much by muting the high e string.
Introduction
The opening guitar riff takes me instantly to Etta James and old blues and soul singers. It’s really hard to find any flaws in these licks, and learning these are going to be extremely helpful for you as a guitar player. There are tons of other songs with similar intro lines that are very similar, so you can recycle and reform this riff to fit other R&B and country tunes.
Verse
During the verse, the acoustic guitar sticks to a straight forward strumming pattern. There are a couple licks in there that I’ve tabbed out for you below.
Chorus
This is a classic rhythm and blues guitar pattern in the chorus. Learning how to play Tennessee Whiskey’s chorus can help you with other songs like It’s Alright by Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions. These licks are so similar, and it’s cool to see it in a country R&B cross-over song. It illustrates how similar country, blues, and r&b guitar can be. A lot of times, the only difference between the genres are timing and style. Yes, there are distinct differences, but in a lot of the popular tunes you’ll hear on the radio, it’s amazing how many of the same chord shapes and scales get used in all of these genres.
Guitar Solo
Arguably the best part of the song, and yes, that’s spoken like a true guitar player. Chris Stapleton’s vocals are incredible, but this simple guitar solo is soulful and pulls at your emotions. My favorite part of the solo? The quick one-and-a-half bend, followed by a full bend. SO soulful. Take a look at the tabs and practice with the video! The solo begins in the last measure of the first line of tablature here:
That’s IT!
You know how to play Tennessee Whiskey!! Now get out to the park with your friends and wow them with your new guitar skills! If you’re a huge Chris Stapleton fan, that’s great news! We have lessons for Starting Over and You Should Probably Leave off Chris’ album, Starting Over!
Remember, if you would like to support this webpage, please become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smellytele! A perk of being a patron? I will make a video lesson specifically for you! If there’s a song you want to learn, but you can’t find a lesson for it, tell me! I’m here to help!
Also, go check out some of our other acoustic guitar lessons! If you’re a beginner looking for more simple chords, try Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show or Willin’ by Little Feat! These simple songs are great to learn!
And if you liked the guitar we used in today’s video, check out our full review of the Martin Custom D Classic Rosewood!
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How It’s Made:
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